One of the very few independent voices on oil worth listening to has posted a very interesting article up on SinkingAlpha concerning the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout. Alan von Altendorf is an IKN friend and I know for a fact that he's cool about me posting the whole of his text up here, so that's exactly what we're doing. However, you'll surely want to keep an eye on the comments section under his SA post cos this guy really knows his bananas. Enjoy.
An Open Letter To Congress
by Alan von Altendorf
These are the documents to subpeona from BP:
1. E-Drill computer logs that document every detailed aspect of what was done by the Deepwater Horizon drilling operation before and during the blow-out. These computer logs exist at BP's office in Houston.
2. All internal emails to and from BP's Houston office and BP company men on the Deepwater Horizon throughout the period when circulation was lost, measures to add Lost Circulation Material while drilling, indicating whether a sidetrack was drilled, the decision to Plug & Abandon, orders to M-I Swaco, orders to Halliburton, orders to PSV Damon Bankston, and drilling orders for testing prior to displacement of the marine riser with seawater.
3. All internal emails and summaries of telephone conversations between BP's Houston office and their headquarters in London pertaining to rushing completion of the Macondo well to move the rig to another location.
4. Documents and sworn statements establishing the Subsea Total Vertical Depth SSTVD of the Macondo well, including well logs that show whether lost circulation occurred at the top of the gas reservoir and/or whether the well penetrated and logged the entire oil reservoir interval.
5. A comprehensive statement of who decided to Plug & Abandon the well and why the Transocean crew was rushed into omitting vital measurements and tests to ensure that the well was dead before displacing to seawater.
6. An accurate and comprehensive diagram of the Macondo well installation, from wellhead to TD, showing each section of casing and liner installed and cemented, with an accompanying narrative statement describing the entire sequence of drilling, materials, and completion.
Disclosure: No position in BP at time of writing